Broken Halo
by echaryn
Summary: Sabo is on Sabaody Archipelago, strolling down the street, when a certain poster catches his eye... After reading it he is angry, outraged that someone would use his little brother's name for such a disgusting thing. Luffy is his brother, his one, his own. He will find whoever did that. And he won't forgive them. He will bring them to the gates of hell. [SaboLu] [Explicit]
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone,**

 **this story was first posted by me on AO3 on 31/03/16.**

 **So this story is another yandere!Sabo story and I decided to take psycho big bro Sabo to the next level.**  
 **Sabo is definitely not a saint. Especially not if it comes to Luffy.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **I don't own One Piece nor any of the characters.**

* * *

A happy smile turns his numb lips upward as he sees the colourful ship of his little brother appear against the dark, near black horizon. The Thousand Sunny is almost worryingly easy to spot on the endless blue of the Grand Line, and if his brother and his friends were worse fighters than they are, he'd be worried sick. But Luffy and his crazy group of nakama have proven plenty that they are able to handle the New World – and so he sees the Sunny and his heart flutters in happiness.

"C'mon birdy, we're almost there," he whispers to the gigantic barn swallow he currently sits on. The bird is much, much bigger than its species usually becomes, and far easier to train. It's one of those weird perks of living in Baltigo – the animals there are growing larger than in most other parts of the world, but the good thing is that they can use the birds for transport, which is way faster and far less obvious than travelling on a ship.

He grips the hard feathers a little firmer or rather he tries to, but he can't feel his hands anymore. He doesn't have his gloves with him and his fingers look unhealthily waxen and pale.

The swallow chirps good-naturedly and the Sunny draws closer and closer, peacefully anchoring near the beach of a small, seemingly uninhabited island. He can already see the big figurehead, a lion head, a suitable choice for the ship of the future pirate king.

It's still night time; the sunrise is about an hour away and he guesses that the crew is still deep in slumber… he can't blame them, he's close to falling asleep himself and the thought of them being dry and warm in their beds sparks a pang of jealousy. The wind up here is strong, clammy and cold, smelling like rain and he can feel the little drops of moisture seep through his clothes, covering his skin with an icy cold layer of dampness. He fights hard to keep his teeth from chattering.

They've been flying the entire day and night, and even Sabo can get tired, his limbs feel heavy and his eyes threaten to fall close.

But the prospect of seeing Luffy soon keeps him awake and alert, he hasn't seen him for a while, and he can't wait to hear his voice again and to see his whole face light up because he sees him, and Sabo knows he's the only one who can make him smile like that, of course, it's only natural, he's Luffy's brother, and Luffy loves him, right?

He's the only one Luffy loves like that, isn't he?

And he loves Luffy so much, his dear baby brother, he's his most favourite person in the world, the only treasure he will ever need…

Ever want…and ever keep.

He circles in the air above the Sunny a few times, a little insecure if he can just land like that. He doesn't want to cause any chaos and he definitely doesn't want to wake the whole bunch up. He's still considering when he spots some hasty movement in the crow's nest and then he sees Zoro climbing down the ladder…only sloppily clad.

Sabo smirks.

Interesting… He can figure what the swordsman has been doing while on watch, yeah, Sabo is sure he's quite close with his idea…

Zoro looks up at him and gives him a thumbs up, and even from this high, Sabo can see the sour expression on his weirdly flushed face…as if he'd been interrupted doing something…

Or someone…

Sabo wastes no time and orders the swallow to land on the emerald green lawn of the main deck.

With stiff limbs and movements similar to those of a straw man, not a human, he jumps from the bird's back, nodding at the approaching swordsman. He grimaces as his back cracks ominously. Argh, that didn't sound healthy…at all… He thankfully pats the swallow's head, before he turns his attention to the green-haired man.

"Good morning," Sabo says, massaging his stiff neck, and he smiles at the swordsman.

"Hey, Sabo. What brings you here, you alright?"

"Ah, yeah, well, to be honest I was a little worried. I've heard some nasty rumours about you guys, especially, Luffy, and for some reason the telesnail wouldn't connect, so I decided on a short note I might want to pay you guys a visit," Sabo explains with a polite smile, twisting the entire story a bit, but still remaining within an arm's length from the truth.

Zoro rubs the back of his head, suddenly looking a little embarrassed – how rare for a man as composed and calm as him. "Yeah, uhm, about the telesnail, I believe that was the shitty cook's and my fault… We got into a fight and we knocked the thing down."

Sabo blinks. And then he smiles even wider: "Fight, hm? Between you and Sanji?"

Zoro nods. "Yeah, sorry about that."

"That's ok. The only thing that's important is that the crew is alright."

"Yeah, well, I guess Luffy is still asleep, but you can go see him, anyways. You know where the sleeping quarters are?"

"Yes."

"Ok."

"Oh, and Zoro?"

"Hm?"

"Next time you and Sanji have a _fight_ , please make sure to do it somewhere where nothing breaks."

Zoro stares at him for a moment, before he rolls his eyes, his cheeks turning reddish. "So you know?"

And Sabo laughs in a low voice and nods. It's funny, because the obvious attraction, although disguised in constant bickering and bantering, between the grumpy swordsman and the overly perfectionistic cook is obvious, almost ridiculously obvious, to everyone else except Luffy.

But then again, it's Luffy, right, he wouldn't even notice sexual tension if it would be dancing stark naked in front of him…

One of the reasons to love his brother even more.

"Sabo…I wish for it to remain a secret, alright?"

And Sabo graciously angles his head to the side: "Of course. It's none of my business."

"Thank you."

"Oh, but I'm happy for you, just so you know," Sabo adds and Zoro's blush gets even darker as he looks away and then he grunts and jerks his head toward the upper deck.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, go be with your brother now."

"Fufufu, thanks…and say hi to Sanji from me, yes? He's in your crow's nest, isn't he? Recovering from the third round?"

"Sabo, you've been here five minutes and you're already as bloody annoying as your brother."

That makes Sabo genuinely laugh and he pats Zoro's strong shoulder. "I take that as a compliment. See ya later."

He finds his way to the room where the boys sleep in tiny bunk beds; he finds these things hardly comfortable for his personal taste. One might call him spoiled, but he needs space, because he tends to sleep like a jumping jack, his arms and legs spread wide, usually across the entire width of his mattress. If he'd have to choose between such a bunk bed and the floor, he'd prefer the floor, where he could at least move around freely.

He looks around and is surprised that he can't spot Chopper, the cute reindeer and doctor of the crew. He can't blame him, though; he probably sleeps in the peace of his own company in his lab. But Sabo can see Brook, soundlessly sleeping like the dead (sorry, pun intended) in the bunk bed above Usopp's.

As expected, Sanji and Zoro are missing, and so does, much to his surprise, Franky, the shipwright. Maybe he sleeps somewhere else? He's a big guy…so maybe somewhere where he has enough space for his cyborg body? Probably…

But where is Luffy…?

He looks around, checking the empty mattresses and then… _finally_ … there he is…

A smile plays around his lips as he crouches down next to Luffy's bunk. The boy is still fast asleep with his dark hair falling gently into his eyes. He's lying on his side, the blanket wrapped around him and reaching up to his chin, and he looks so innocent…so vulnerable… Sabo's heart clenches and he feels such a strong pull in his chest…to just scoop him up and hug him tightly and protect him forever…it takes all self-control not to, to let him sleep in peace.

Oh how strong the longing is…to keep him by his side forever…to not let him out of his eyesight…

To keep him to himself…

He looks so young…and beautiful…and perfect, in every way and Sabo's chest swells with pride. This is his brother, his _own_ …his favourite person in the whole world…

Luffy's breathing is deep and steady, he's still fast asleep and Sabo, after a moment, just sits down to watch him a bit. To take in this wonderful view and to memorise it, memorise it like the back of his hand. He's had to wait so many years to see him like this again…so he should savour it…

At some point, as he hears steps outside, probably Sanji on his way to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, Sabo decides to wake up Luffy.

How beautiful a thought, that he will be the first thing Luffy sees when he wakes up…and the first to make him smile today… He smiles and then he gently shakes Luffy's shoulder.

"Wake up, Luffy," he whispers softly and he sees how Luffy crunches his nose adorably, before he starts mumbling incomprehensible words and one hand flies up to rub his eyes.

"Wake up, Luffy, you got a visitor," Sabo says with a grin and Luffy's voice, still heavy from sleep, asks raspily:

"V-visit?...Hmm, who…?"

"Hmmm, open your eyes..?"

And Luffy's eyelids flutter, fighting hard against the slumber, and then his dark, gorgeous eyes open slightly, focusing on him.

Sabo smiles as he sees how the eyes grow wider and wider and suddenly Luffy sits up, so fast he hits his head and he blinks rapidly, staring at him with his mouth open.

"Good morning," Sabo smiles.

" _SABO!_ " and his voice is so loud Usopp starts yelling in shock and he falls out of his bunk bed and Brook, startled, starts yodelling and suddenly, with Luffy awake, in an instant everyone's awake and this is seriously so chaotic and funny and noisy and perfect, Sabo can't help but laugh as Luffy jumps right into his arms to rope his rubber arms around his whole torso. With him awake, suddenly it's so much louder and livelier, it's amazing!

"Sabo! What are you doing here, since when are you here!? It's so good to see you!" Luffy yells into his ear, hugging him so tightly he thinks his ribs might crack.

Well, it would be worth it.

"Hey Luffy," he chuckles, looking into Luffy's happily flushed face, and the last traces of sleepiness are washed away. "I'm just here for a quick visit, I'll tell you everything later. How are you?"

"I'm great! See, we got to this island yesterday and I wanna explore it a bit before we leave again, because we haven't been looking for a proper treasure in ages, so I want to go and look for one!" Luffy explains happily.

"That sounds good."

"Ah, Sabo! What are you doing here?" another voice joins the conversation, and Usopp waves at him while yawning.

"It's a pleasant surprise," Brook, the musician, adds.

"I just got here. I'm sorry I caused you guys to wake up," he apologises politely and Usopp quickly brushes it aside.

"Nah, it's alright, good to see you, Sabo."

And suddenly the door flies open and crashes against the wall with a loud thud and Sanji stands there, well dressed as always.

"Oi, if everyone's awake, you might as well help set the table!" he says energetically, before turning his gaze to Sabo.

"Morning, Sabo."

"Good morning, Sanji."

And from the slight blush that creeps into the chef's pale cheeks, Sabo knows that Zoro has told him about the earlier conversation.

"Sanji, what's for breakfast?!" Luffy cries and Sabo can hear his brother's stomach growl. He snorts in amusement.

"Come help and you'll find out!"

With that, Sanji leaves, and his steps are weirdly light…just like someone's who's had a good fucking the previous night.

Luffy is still sitting comfortably in his lap, appearing to not want to move so soon. Sabo is actually ok with that, but…

"So? Wanna go help Sanji?" Sabo asks Luffy and Luffy shakes his head happily.

 _Lazy bone, as usual._

"Naaaah, I want to be with Sabo!"

"Alright, but what if _I_ go and help Sanji?" he asks playfully and he loves the pout that appears on Luffy's handsome face.

"Then Sabo would be a total bore."

"That's not nice. I'm your guest, so I will help," he says and gently urges him to stand on his own feet, so he can stand up.

"You're my brother, so relax," Luffy laughs, but Sabo shakes his head with a smile.

"Nah, I'll help."

"Sabooo!"

"Pfff, Luffy, you're so lazy," Usopp snickers, pulling a hoodie over his head.

"You're not helping, either!"

"Sabo, I'll come with you," Brook says.

"Alright. See you at breakfast, then," Sabo says with a wink and he leaves Luffy pouting and sitting on the ground.

"So, why exactly are you here?" Luffy asks Sabo later, as he sits yawning at the now empty kitchen table. He's actually about to sleep a bit, he's been awake for almost two days now… Luffy hands him another mug full of steaming coffee and then the captain sits down next to him on the bench, looking at him intently. But there is still the hint of a smile on his face.

"I mean, I'm so happy that you are! But it's weird, you know what I mean? Are you ok?" Luffy asks and rest his chin in his palm.

Sabo smiles at his brother's concern. "I'm ok, promise. No, it's basically because I heard some rather nasty rumours…and I wanted to make sure they weren't true."

"What kind of rumours?"

"…I'm not sure I should tell you, Luffy…"

"Oh, c'mon! I'm not a kid anymore," Luffy says with a pout, completely undermining his words and Sabo needs to bite back his laughter.

"I know, but still, this might actually bother you if you knew, so I won't tell."

"But-"

"How about you let me sleep for a while? And then we can talk?" Sabo asks, stifling a deep yawn. A few minutes more and he'll just sleep here, with the head on the table, and wake up again hours later with a stiff neck and a gruesome mood.

He'd like to avoid that, if he can help it.

Luffy rubs his nose, before he shrugs: "Yeah, sure, where you wanna sleep?"

"Wherever there is a pillow and a blanket."

"Alright, come with me!"

And suddenly, Luffy jumps up, grabbing his hand to pull him to his feet. Sabo blinks in surprise at the sudden outburst of movement. He's too tired for that…

"Where are we going?" he yawns again as he follows the shorter man out of the kitchen. Luffy's hand is hot against his, and his fingers wrapped tightly around his own.

Sabo likes that.

"I know a place where you can sleep!"

"Great," he mumbles sleepily.

"Oh, and Sanji asked if we should feed your bird?"

Sabo facepalms. Shit, he totally forgot about the swallow… "Ah, yes please, she eats corn and vegetables."

"And can we fly on her, too?"

"Sure, whatever you want," Sabo yawns and then Luffy pushes a door open and they find themselves in the Sunny's library.

Sabo sighs as he breathes in the distinct smell of books and parchment, and Luffy drags him forward, only to shove him down onto the fluffy carpet.

Sabo places his hat next to him and then frees himself off his coat, boots and scarf. He can hear his brother rummaging in one of the commodes next to the door and when Sabo is about to ask what he is doing, he is hit in the face with a fluffy pillow with flower design. Then a blanket lands in his lap.

"Oops, sorry," Luffy laughs and flops down in front of him.

"Thanks."

"But…Sabo… Is that blood…!?"

Sabo blinks and looks down at himself. Oh shit, he forgot… There are still large dried blood spots on the front of his shirt and vest; he completely forgot to change his clothes before flying all the way to the Sunny. He passes his brother a radiant smile: "Don't worry, it's not mine."

"But…?!"

"No worries, everything's alright, I promise."

Luffy doesn't look convinced, but Sabo is too tired to be dealing with that now. He just shrugs the shirt off and leans back into the pillow, pulling the blanket over his now bare upper body. Silently ending the conversation for now.

"Please wake me up if I'm still sleeping in the evening," he mumbles and Luffy scoots closer.

"Sabo?"

"Hm?"

"Are you really ok?"

"Of course I am."

And he smiles at Luffy's concerned face. It's so sweet that he is worried for him, but it's completely unnecessary. Worrying is Sabo's job, he's the big brother, right?

"If I wasn't ok, I wouldn't have done this long-ass flight across the Grand Line to see you. And now be good and let me sleep a bit, ok?"

"Ok..."

And Sabo closes his eyes and a few heartbeats later, he's gone.

 ** _A day prior_**

"Sabo-kun, where are you going?" Koala asks him with raised brows. She still sits in the shadow of a mangrove, her feet dangling from the thick root.

"Just strolling around, I'm tired of waiting," he yawns and stretches his arms over his head. It cracks in his back, the result of too many hours waiting for the particular informant. He hopes the information they'll get is useful – it better be, otherwise Sabo will be pissed off… and Koala will be pissed off, too, and both of them in a bad mood is a baaaad combination and a serious danger for every person in the vicinity of at least five miles.

"But what if he gets here?"

"Then just ring me, Koala."

She pouts and Sabo grins at her playfully. "I'll stay on Grove 1, no worries."

They're on Sabaody Archipelago and actually, they've been ordered to meet with an informant, a revolutionary spy who works in the Marine basis Mariejois. But until now, the informant hasn't showed up and Sabo is tired of waiting. The journey to Sabaody was long and he just wants to relax a bit, before dealing with tiring politics again.

Sabo digs his hands into his pockets as he wanders over Grove 1. The Grove belongs to the outlaw groves, where there's nearly no Marine presence at all, and most people he meets here are pirates, thugs, criminals, in fact all those types of people who have a special hatred toward the World Government and the Marines. They've actually recruited quite a number of people from here already.

He strolls down the street, fully aware of the suspicious looks in his back, but he doesn't bother halting. There's no one on this Grove that could be a serious threat to him – he isn't the number 2 of the Revolutionary Army for nothing.

The street is lined with dodgy-looking pubs and inns, he can even see a weapon shop and (seriously?) a shop for tombstones. It's a grotesque mix, and he would laugh about it, if it wasn't for the slaves being offered and sold in the big auction house he can see through the mangroves. It's been rebuild, after Luffy and his friends demolished the thing two years ago.

To be honest, Sabo has never been prouder of his brother than when he heard about the fantastic news. It's just...so like him.

He's about to walk into one of the weapon shops when a huge bulletin board at the side of the shop door catches his attention. A number of Wanted posters are hanging there, he immediately recognises his brother's, yeah, he would recognise that smile anywhere…

And his chest swells with pride when he sees the black ink, stating his brother's head is worth 500,000,00 berries.

Not that anyone would ever have the chance to collect his bounty, his little brother is way too stro-

And suddenly, another poster, further to the left, makes his eyes grow wide, so wide he believes they might actually jump out of his head in shock.

"Oh my…god…"

And he rips the poster from the bulletin, who the fuck, who dares to advertise such a disgusting thing, he will _kill_ them…

It's a poster, advertising the latest attraction in a close-by "high-class" brothel – it says you can fuck "the rubber captain" Monkey D. Luffy, for only 2000 Berries per hour, bareback and with as many friends as you like.

Sabo's whole body is shaking with rage and disgust, he's suddenly feeling nauseous to the core, ready to throw up. Who dares abusing his little brother's reputation like that, who dares to even use his name for such a disgusting, dehumanising thing…

But it can't be…there's no chance it's actually…Luffy…?

And fear, cold, heavy fear settles in his chest as he stares at the address again. He needs to go and see for himself, he needs to make sure it's not him, he needs…

He needs to burn that brothel down…and everyone in it… Needs to make them suffer… Till they beg him to be allowed to die…

He clenches the poster in his hand, looking down the road; it should be close-by, close to the auction house... He startles when the telesnail in his pocket starts ringing and with an annoyed snort, he pulls the thing out.

"Sabo-kun, where are you?!" Koala asks him.

"Sorry, I got something to do…"

"But the dude is here!"

"Handle it on your own, alright?"

"What?! You're the chief of staff, for heaven's sake!"

"And you're a grown woman; you can handle it, right?"

"Idiot Sabo!"

"See ya in a bit."

He doesn't run, but his steps are much longer than usual and a lot more hurried, his heels dig angrily into the soft earth and dirt they call street and his eyes dart from one dodgy house to the other, trying to make out which one is supposed to be this goddamn brothel…

"Fuck this…," he mutters under his breath, his knuckles cracking from being clenched to fists, fists that are more than ready to be slammed into somebody's face.

He'll find whoever made this sick poster that advertises having sex with his brother. He will find these assholes and he will tear them apart, limb after limb…

And then he can see it, and his stomach twists at the hideous sight. There's a rubber doll hanging right above the entrance. Naked, with a scar drawn beneath its empty, artificial eye, and a tousled straw hat sewed on its head. A large X is drawn on its chest.

It's just a doll, a cheap one at that – but it's obvious, so goddamn obvious it might as well be a slap in his face, because everyone who sees it will recognise _instantly_ who it's supposed to be. And he can only imagine the dirty lust in their eyes and he turns away, spitting out bile acid.

Sabo is shaking with rage, and small flames start licking over his skin, over his shoulders, he can hardly control himself anymore, this is too much, these motherfuckers have gone too far.

And they will pay for it.

He marches into the store and closes the wooden door behind him. The air is wet and stuffy, heavy with the scent of chokingly sweet incense, the stink of sex and sweat and strong musk.

It's disgusting, he can practically feel how the air sticks to his clothes, to his skin, and he has a hard time not holding his breath.

He stands in the entrance area; he can see a wooden cabinet to the right, where a distinctive number of shoe pairs are stored. Other than that, there's a desk, with an ugly, skinny man sitting behind it and behind him is another door. The man strongly resembles a rat – he has an embarrassing excuse of a moustache dusting his thin upper lip and greasy dark hair sticks to his forehead.

He reeks of cheap sake and Sabo's nose protests, as he approaches him. He doesn't know if he's the owner of the thing, or if he's just an employee…

Doesn't really matter, he'll die anyways.

"Ah, good day to you, Sir… I have never seen you around before, are you a traveller?" the man says and his voice is slimy, crawling up anybody's ass to lick it.

Sabo clenches his jaw, before he slams the poster onto the desk.

"This. Now," he says darkly.

And the man's face splits open in a sickeningly grin as he immediately recognises the shop's own advertisement.

"Ah, gotcha, good choice, hehe. It's a new attraction we just recently added to our program, but people dig it, you have no idea! There're already a dozen in there, I'm sure they'll let you have some fun, too…. The boy is new, I'm sure you'll enjoy it."

Sabo tries to breathe evenly, not show his rage just yet…But inside him…fuck, he's two seconds from burning the whole thing do, and burning everyone in it alive…

A new boy, huh…? He grits his teeth. It better not be his brother… he can't imagine it is Luffy, Luffy is too strong to be defeated and dehumanised like this, plus they would've brought him to the Marines to collect his bounty…

He looks at the man. And the man snickers and adds: "I've already had a taste myself. He's pretty and his ass is damn tight."

"Where?" Sabo manages to choke out.

"Down the hallway, the last room on the right. But before you ask, we don't have the rest of the crew. Only him. Got defeated a few days ago, close to Dressrosa, and then brought here."

Sabo swallows dryly.

"Gotcha."

And with that, he thrusts his arm forward, across the desk, to grab the man's face.

"Eeeek, Sir?" the man screeches and Sabo's blood is pulsating in his veins. He digs his thumb and index finger deep into the dimples behind the temples, but not enough yet to crush bone.

For now, it just hurts. A lot.

The man starts howling and Sabo slams his face down into the desk, only to shove it up again, and the man cries silently, while parts of his front teeth fall out of his bleeding mouth and his nose is flat – broken, smashed.

Sabo smiles.

"Poor you, does it hurt?" he asks sweetly.

The man nods weakly in Sabo's firm hold, tears pouring out of his eyes. "P-please…" he says through a mouth full of shattered teeth and blood.

And Sabo smashes his face onto the desk again, and this time the whole thing cracks down in the middle.

He pulls the bleeding, bruising man up again, gloating in his visible pain. Sabo's smile becomes wider.

"I'll kill you, you know that, right?" he asks friendly, and he loves how the watery eyes widen in disbelief and all-consuming fear.

"My name is Sabo. Of the revolutionaries. Have you heard of me?"

And the man, obviously not daring to move a single finger, just stares at him, blood and spit and tears dripping down his face. Suddenly, the strong scent of urine fills Sabo's nostrils and he frowns.

"Disgusting human scum…," he mumbles, seeing the enlarging dark, wet spot in the front of the man's trousers.

"Anyways. I have two brothers. One was Portgas D. Ace, also known as Fire Fist Ace. Yeah, you know that name, don't you? And the other one is Monkey D. Luffy, captain of the Straw Hat pirates. That rings a bell, doesn't it?".

The man makes a miserable noise, completely incomprehensible. "Yeah, thought so. So, and when I saw this ad, I got a bit mad, you understand that, right? So I'd like to talk to your boss or pimp or whatever. Now."

The man's eyes dart toward the door behind him.

"I'll find him behind the door? Where?"

The man lifts a shaking finger and points to the next floor. And that's all Sabo needs to know.

He smiles again, amusement filling his thoughts. This stupid asshole. Should've decided for a different workplace.

"P-please…Sir," the man whines desperately and Sabo can't help but laugh. This is…ha, so funny…it feels so _good_ to see him in pain and utterly helpless, as the unworthy piece of shit he is.

Sabo bites his lower lip while grinning like a maniac and digs his fingers deeper.

"Your mistake was that you used my brother's name. And I really don't like scum like you guys to even take his name into your filthy mouths. But don't worry – I'll tell everyone else in here, too."

And with that, Sabo's friendly smile the last he sees, the blond crushes the dude's skull bone, the eyes protrude before they are pressed out of his head and the blood spurts across the desk, followed by white slimy brain mass and bits of bone and flesh.

Sabo chuckles in satisfaction. And then lets the warm corpse slump back down into his seat. Like he'd never been disturbed.

He moves to the door and the hallway he enters is even worse than the entrance area. It's steamy, he can barely see more than what's immediately in front of him, and he can vaguely make out doors on both sides of the hallway, most are closed, although he can hear distinct sex noises coming from there. He looks around. He needs to find a staircase…

"Hey handsome, are you lonely?" a smoky but flat voice says next to him and he turns his gaze toward a half-naked woman standing in the door to one of the dim rooms. She looks…tired. Kind of ill, too. Eyelids hanging down, her make-up is smeared and even through the fog, Sabo can see numerous bruises on her skin. He snorts.

And then he sees the collar around her neck and the shackle around her ankle and he clenches his hands to fists.

They are slaves.

He blinks. And then he unleashes his haki and she slumps to the ground, unconscious. He hears several thuds and he assumes that everyone in the front rooms is knocked unconscious for now. He sighs. And what to do with the slaves now? Shall he just bring them outside, one by one?

"Crap…," he mutters to himself. He maybe should've thought about that earlier…

Then he shrugs. He'll figure something out while he moves to the next rooms…

It doesn't take long until he reaches the last room – and a staircase that leads into the first floor. Sabo scratches his neck. Where should he go first..? He can hear disgusting sounds coming from the room, he can hear voices, many voices, male only, and the sounds of flesh slapping against wood and bare feet tapping across tiles.

He decides for the room. If he makes the guys scream loud enough, the pimp will surely come down, anyways, he supposes?

And then he's Sabo's to play with…

He kicks the door open and it flies across the room, knocking one guy down in the process, until it slams against the opposite wall, leaving the men shocked and speechless.

He quietly walks in. There are more than a dozen in here, they stink of sweat and jizz, most are fat and ugly, with hairy bellies, some are skinny and rat-like with their arms full of tattoos, and some are bulky, more animals than humans. They're naked, showing off their poor equipment whilst gloating in the fact that they have the poor slave at their mercy.

And then he sees him.

And Sabo's heart sighs in relief as he recognises instantly that the boy isn't Luffy. And then his chest aches with pity.

The boy is skinny from malnourishment and pale, as if he hasn't seen the sun for a long time. He has black hair, but it's longer than Luffy's. He's pretty, true, Sabo can see a certain similarity between this slave and his own brother – but to everyone who knows Monkey D. Luffy, it's clear that this is just a grotesque, borderline sick imitation.

The even painted a black scar beneath his left eye. And an X on his chest.

Sabo fights his rebelling stomach. He's relieved it's not Luffy – but still, seeing this boy, covered in bruises and soaking with the jizz of all these disgusting men, it's hideous, _because it could've been Luffy…._

The boy is on all fours, a cock showed down his throat, whilst another dude has his cock buried in his ass.

Sabo frowns. And then he approaches them.

"The fuck are you?!" one brave man bellows at him.

"Get away from him," Sabo says darkly to the two guys who are still in front of and behind the boy.

"What the fuck, get out of here!" one of them barks angrily.

Sabo tries to make eye contact with the boy. But the slave's eyes are faded, unfocused.

"Why doesn't he react?" he asks sternly, crouching down next to the boy's body. Still no sign that the boy has noticed his presence. Sabo narrows his eyes as he sees blood on the inside of his thighs.

"Motherfucker, never been in a fucking brothel? He's drugged up, so he wouldn't scream!" someone in one corner of the room says with a laugh and others join him.

That's enough for Sabo. He grabs the guy who still receives a blowjob and throws him against the wall, where the impact is so strong he leaves a crater in the bricks. The man lies on his front, face down. Some of his ribs are probably broken now.

Suddenly, the men start screaming and shouting, and he feels a hand on his shoulder and Sabo grabs that hand, and it only take a small amount of strength to break the bone like a twig. The pained howling that follows is pure music to his ears.

The other guy hurries to pull his dick from within the boy and stumbles backward. Sabo snorts. And then he unleashes his haki again and the men all fall unconscious.

The boy does, too, but Sabo makes sure to catch his fall and he carefully lies him down on his side.

"The fuck is going on?!" another voice chimes in and he turns his head to see a fat, but muscled guy stand in the door, a heavy cigar hanging from his lips.

Ah. Must be the pimp.

Sabo knocks him out. He will deal with him later. First he needs to do something else.

He takes his pipe from his back and then he peels his arms from his coat and then wraps the coat around the naked boy. Then he grabs the collar and shackle – and crushes them beneath his fingers. They're not kairoseki, they're mere iron chains, he breaks them as easily as he breaks wood.

The boy's neck and ankle are badly bruised and he wonders with a shudder how long he must've been wearing them already.

He lifts the boy up in his arms – he weighs close to nothing – and then he carries him outside. He decides to hide his unconscious body beneath a thick mangrove root, about fifty meters from the street. No one will see him here, he's sure about that, but he puts his pipe in the boy's limp hands nevertheless. Better leave a weapon with him, rather than nothing.

Then Sabo places his hat on the boy's head and stands up again. He cracks his knuckles.

He has people to kill.

More than half of the men in the room is already dead. He has ripped their fingers off…and their genitals…and thrown them all in the middle, for them to see, right before they die…He crushed their skulls, sometimes through their eye-sockets… yeah, Sabo can be real creative when it comes to hurting people who deserve it.

There are four guys and the pimp left. They are cowering in a corner, shaking, whimpering, and so, so _afraid_ … Sabo grins at them happily. He'll have such _fun_ with them…torture them to his heart's content…

He carelessly rips the head of the fresh corpse he just produced and throws the crushed head, you can hardly call it a head anymore, it's more like a deformed bag out of skin, filled with brain mess, bone splinters and blood, he throws the thing in front of their feet and one guy throws up. Aww, but he still wants to play...

"Man, I thought you were all such tough guys…," Sabo snickers and approaches them.

"W-what do you w-want? Money? It's upstairs in a safe, take everything you want, just leave us!" the pimp screams with a voice that his high-pitched with terror and Sabo smiles wider.

"How generous. But I'm actually just here to hurt you guys. Really bad, too. And then I will kill you."

"WHY?" the pimp screams and Sabo actually admires his courage. Not many men still find their voices once confronted with what he can do…with what he does with a smile on his face…

"An excellent question, to be honest. Yeah, see, I wouldn't give a damn about this filthy piece of shit you call brothel, but you made the silly mistake of offering people to fuck a slave that resembles my brother," Sabo explains calmly, but his crazy smile not once disappears from his face.

"And if there's one thing I hate more than people talking shit about him, it's people fucking with the idea of him in their heads. Because none of you filth is worthy of even touching an inch of his skin."

He grabs the pimp's throat and slams him up against the wall. The other men whimper and scramble away like the little insects they are.

"I-I…your..brother?" the man manages to say. Sabo can practically smell his fear. He has balls to still talk to him.

"Yeah, sworn brother to be more precise. Not blood-related. Monkey D. Luffy is my sworn brother."

And now he sees recognition mixing with the fear in the small, bug-like eyes. "You're the one from the revolutionaries."

"That's right. And now quit talking."

And with that he grabs the man's dick right through his trousers and the screech is almost inhuman as he rips the limb organ off.

Warm blood pours over his hand like a waterfall and the man seems to be losing consciousness from the shock of having his manhood removed.

Sabo chuckles and throws the disgusting thing over his shoulder.

"Aw, every time I do that you guys are so upset…"

And he digs his index and middle finger into the man's eye sockets and his thumb in his mouth and then he lets his fingers wander toward each other… And he laughs when first the eyes and then the entire face breaks under his strength and then he holds the limb body, his fingers so deep inside him he pulls out his brain as he retracts them.

He squeezes the ugly white mess in his hands and the brain looks like a nest full of maggots that curl around his fingers and it's still warm and Sabo has an idea.

He turns around and throws the brain mess at the four remaining guys.

Sabo hears a splashing sound and sees that another guy has thrown up. Sabo grins and approaches the last four. They look so pitiable…such poor things, if he was a better person, he would _maybe_ have mercy…

But nah…

They fucked the boy, with Luffy in their heads. No way will he forgive that.

If someone ever was to have his brother.

 _It would be me and only me._

"So, I'll have a little more fun with you guys. I have so many ideas! Just wait…"

He doesn't have to wait long for Koala to pick up the telesnail.

"What the fuck? Sabo-kun, where are you?" she yells annoyed.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that, could you please come to the brothel in front of the auction house?" Sabo says and with a disgusted grimace he pulls his blood-soaked gloves off and throws them aside. He's standing in the entrance area, leaning against the bloody desk, completely ignoring the still dripping corpse behind him.

"The brothel? What the hell did you do?"

"I saved a few people. Come help me carry the rest of the slaves outside, before I burn the thing down."

He can hear her sigh.

"Sabo-kun, you can't always do that."

"Yeah yeah, let's talk about that later. Just come here, please? I need your help."

"…Be there in a five."

She ends the call and Sabo doesn't hesitate to dial another number. The number of the telesnail he gave the Straw Hat crew, so he would be able to contact them. He waits but…

How weird, it doesn't connect…?

Sabo frowns. This is…strange…

He looks back to the room with the corpses. Maybe he should've gotten a bit more information out of the pimp after all…

He sighs frustrated. Damn, he should stop being so reckless… He glances at the time. Koala needs to hurry; he has to go see Luffy…

Make sure he's ok.

 _ **Present day**_

Sabo wakes up from a foreign, warm weight on top of him and a nose full of hair. He doesn't move, he can tell who it is, and his heart speeds up in joy. This is so cute – he wonders how long Luffy has been lying on top of him. Anyways, he wants to savour the moment a little longer. So he remains with his eyes closed and his breathing steady.

"When does he wake up?" he hears Luffy ask impatiently and another female voice, he believes it's Robin's, replies: "Shhh, Luffy, he's tired. Let him rest."

"He's been resting the entire afternoon!"

"I'm sure it's a long flight from where he was."

"Sabo…wake up…," he hears Luffy mumble into his chest and Sabo can't pretend to sleep anymore, not when Luffy says something so heart-wrenchingly adorable.

He opens his eyes and smiles at Luffy. His brother blinks and meets his gaze with big dark eyes that light up beautifully when they see that see he's awake.

"Yeees, Sabo! You woke up!"

And again he's crushed with a bone-cracking hug that he happily returns.

"Sorry I slept so long."

"Did you have a good rest?" Robin asks him with a smile and he nods, while rubbing soothingly over Luffy's back.

"Yeah, was fantastic."

"Sabo, it's almost dinner time! But can we go to the island first? Or after, I don't care as long as we go!"

"Ah, sure, but didn't you already go this afternoon?"

"Luffy wanted to wait for you to wake up," Robin chuckles and Sabo can feel a blush creeping into his cheeks.

"Luffy…"

"Yeah, because we have never really explored an island together, right? Home doesn't count," Luffy grins.

And Sabo's heart makes a leap into the stratosphere, oh my god, his brother is just the cutest human being, he's the best person in the world, he's so precious, too cute for his own good…

His blush gets deeper when Luffy pulls him up on his feet.

"But first I want to bathe! And Sabo is coming with!"

"A-am I…?"

"Yes!"

And with Robin's laugh still in his ears, Luffy pulls him forward and Sabo feels like his face is on fire, he can't contain all that happiness, this is so, so amazing, his little brother wants to bathe with him… Sabo wouldn't be surprised if he would just melt into a puddle of sappy affection.

"And then Sabo will tell me why there's all that blood on his shirt," Luffy says eagerly and shoves him forward into the luxurious bath of the Thousand Sunny, closing the door behind him.

Sabo looks at Luffy, who is still grinning brightly.

He clears his throat and gestures him closer. "Let's talk after bathing."

"Pfff, fine! You're being way too mysterious, this better be a good story!" Luffy protests.

Sabo runs a hand through his hair and grins: "It is, I promise."

"By the way, how long are you staying?" Luffy asks intrigued.

And Sabo thoughtfully ruffles his brother's hair. He doesn't want to leave, he actually wants to stay and have an eye on him…he wants to spend more time with his baby brother, he wants to train with him…

Cuddle…exchange stories…

And keep him in his arms. Make it unable for anyone else to touch him except himself… Teach the world that no one is allowed to have him…

Besides himself.

Sabo smiles at Luffy and replies: "As long as I need to."

* * *

 **To be continued.**


	2. Chapter 2

**_A day prior_**

"Dragon won't approve of this, you know that, right?" Koala growls at him as they continue carrying the unconscious slaves out of the brothel. The street is completely empty, except for them. May or may not have been due to Sabo's menacing aura that surrounds him like a baneful glow.

"Have I ever cared all that much about his approval?" Sabo replies and changes the weight of the limb woman in his arms (he made sure her half naked body was covered decently) and walks behind Koala toward the mangrove where they have left the others.

There're about ten slaves left in that godforsaken house and Sabo can't wait till he can finally ignite the whole thing and watch how the flames feed on the murky wood that has seen too many people suffer already. He carefully lies the woman down and turns around.

"So what's your plan afterwards?" Koala asks him as she tries to match his long steps back to the building.

"I'll fly to wherever Luffy is and see if he's ok."

"But didn't you tell me that the slave boy wasn't him? That means he's alright, doesn't it?" Koala asks doubtfully.

"I tried calling his telesnail, but it doesn't connect. I'm worried."

He hears Koala sigh behind him and he looks over his shoulder to see a deep frown forming on her face. He rolls his eyes. He knows that expression all too well.

"Koala…"

"Don't you think you're overreacting?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Like, your brother has a bounty of 500,000,000 berries. And his crewmates aren't exactly weak, either. Don't you think if something had happened, we would've read it in the paper?" the woman reasons.

Sabo shakes his head unconvinced. "Ace's bounty was even higher and he got defeated. A high bounty isn't an insurance that nothing will happen to him," he mumbles.

"But Ace was alone, and Luffy is usually with his crew, isn't he – ?"

"Koala – just let me do my thing, alright? He's my brother, and if there is only the slightest possibility that he is in danger – "

"Sabo, you also have revolutionary duties, don't forget about hat!" Koala protests. "You can't just neglect all your responsibilities just because you're worried about your little brother!".

Sabo narrows his eyes at that and angrily pulls at his own hair. Why the hell is Koala being so unnecessarily critical, has _he_ ever tried to talk _her_ out of something she was convinced was the right thing to do?!

"If it makes it easier for you guys, I'll freaking trade my position," he growls and kicks the door open again.

"You don't mean that!"

"Yes, I do. Listen, when I signed up for this I had amnesia! I didn't care this cause had to become my number one freaking priority in my life! But now things are different and _my priority now is my brother_ , whether Dragon likes it or not!" Sabo hisses and grabs the next unconscious body from the ground. He crushes the chains and lifts the person – it's a scrawny boy – up in his arms.

"…Then maybe you should rethink your staying with the revolutionaries at all, Sabo," Koala says quietly and he halts.

"…Yeah, maybe I should really rethink that," he says in a low voice, more to himself than to her, and he closes his eyes to the hurt expression on her face.

"Christ, Sabo, why are you making this so difficult?! We are your _home_ , for goodness sakes!" Koala replies, angry now, and Sabo has a hard time not crushing the boy's bones as his hands and arms tense up with reawakened fury.

"Alright, do you have any idea how hard it is to be miles and miles and _fucking miles_ away from my brother? A brother who thought I was dead for twelve years?! Do you know how much I fucking miss him, every single day? No, how could you, since you don't have any family other than the revolutionaries. But I do again, _I_ have someone special again, fate or destiny or whatever gave me a second chance and everyone, _you included_ , is keeping me from using that chance! In Dressrosa? I didn't even get to talk to Luffy! I had to leave him. And do you have the slightest _idea_ how hard it is to continue _taking orders_ from the very man who _abandoned him in the first place?!_ " And Sabo is yelling now, his voice echoes from the walls and he can see how Koala pales at his words and angry tears well up in her eyes.

Sabo curses and then leaves his friend standing there. He needs to get away from her constant way of making him feel guilty for…

For worrying about the one person he can still call his family.

Ace is dead and there's nothing that can bring him back. And Sabo is worried sick, no, _completely_ _terrified_ that he might lose Luffy, too. The mere thought of Luffy… of someone taking Luffy away from him makes little angry flames appear over his back and shoulders, the thought alone someone or something coming between him and his most precious person in the world makes him want to burn down a whole city in white hot rage. He wants to scare anyone away who dares to lay a finger on his brother.

Luffy is _his_ , his one and only, his oldest friend, the one who understands him in a way no one does. The one who holds Sabo's _heart_ without even knowing to what extent –

Luffy is his most important person, more important than the revolutionaries, more important than their goals and plans to take down the World Government.

Sabo will do everything for Luffy, everything, Luffy _is_ his everything, his happiness, his love, his sun – his _home_.

And no one can take that away again from Sabo. If someone tries, they will burn, they will die the most disgusting deaths Sabo can think of.

And he can think of many.

As he returns to the slaves, he can see that some are about to wake up, pale fingers move curiously over the warm grass, he can hear soft murmur and he crouches down next to the boy he rescued first.

Dark eyelashes flutter as the young man slowly regains consciousness and Sabo gently puts a hand to his bony shoulder.

"Wh-where…?!" the boy says disoriented, his breath quickening in panic and Sabo squeezes his shoulder reassuringly.

"Shh, it's ok, you're safe now."

"Wh-who…y-you?"

"My name is Sabo, of the revolutionaries."

The boy slowly opens his dark eyes and again, Sabo finds himself painfully reminded of his little brother.

The slave stares at him, his eyes widening, and he starts to shake violently, tears start to form in his eyes and Sabo bites his lip.

"Hey – it's ok, you're safe now, I promise – "

"Th-they hurt me…ev-every d-day," the boy starts sobbing and Sabo's heart clenches painfully in pity.

"They won't hurt you anymore. They're dead."

Suddenly, the boy grabs his arm, and Sabo is surprised at how strong his grip is. And icy cold. "H-how?" the boy stammers, disbelief shining in his eyes, as if he expected Sabo to pull out a new set of chains and lock him up again.

"You don't need to know. Listen, you see the woman with the weird cap? She will look after you. We will make sure you guys are safe."

The boy looks at him, still fear, confusion and pain written across his fairly pretty face, and then he slowly shakes his head: "Why…?"

Sabo clears his throat. "They…do you know who you were supposed to resemble?"

"Y-yeah, a…a pirate, r-right?"

"Yes. My brother."

And the eyes widen even more, and the boy jerks his hand away from his arm, as if he was scared of being burned. Sabo blinks at that.

"You don't need to be worried. We will take care of you guys."

"You're…I-I heard a-about… D-Dressrosa…"

"…"

"Y-You're…"

"Listen, you're safe now, it's all you need to think about."

"N-no, I mean…I-I'm s-sorry I…I remind you o-of your brother."

And Sabo stares at him in silence. The slave is the last person to apologise to him, he did nothing wrong, he got exploited and dehumanised and abused and raped – he's the last who should apologise.

And Sabo smiles at him and then he places both hands on his shoulders.

"I made these guys suffer for what they did to you. If you ever find yourself in trouble again, I will come and help. I promise."

"O-ok," the boy says, a faint blush bringing colour to his pale cheeks. "I…"

"Sabo!"

He turns his head to see Koala approaching, a telesnail in her hand and Sabo's mood darkens. Shit.

"Alright, can you walk? Wake the others up. We have to move soon," Sabo tells the boy and the slave nods, scrambling onto his skinny legs that don't look strong enough to hold him up.

The boy bravely grips Sabo's pipe for support. "Wh-what shall I do?"

"Make sure everyone is able to walk."

And then Sabo turns to Koala, who holds the telesnail under his nose. He can tell who it is, from the sour expression on her face.

He rolls his eyes, before he takes the telesnail from her.

"Yeah?" he asks, trying hard not to sound as pissed off as he actually feels.

"Sabo, why the hell are you being a stubborn idiot again?" Dragon gets to the point straight away.

"I'm doing the right thing."

"Your mission was _not_ to free slaves."

"They weren't only slaves; they were forced to work in a brothel."

"But –"

"And one of the boys was advertised as your son. There were a dozen men in the room, pretending to fuck Monkey D. Luffy, does that not mean anything to you at all?!" Sabo snarls and little flames appear again, this time licking over his arms, up to his neck.

He can hear a crack in Dragon's voice.

"…Are the slaves alive?"

"Yeah."

"And the…costumers?"

"Dead."

"And what are you planning now?"

"Burn down the brothel and the corpses. Then look for Luffy."

"You will return to Baltigo, Sabo."

"No."

"That's an order."

"Dragon, I need to make sure Luffy is ok!"

"I'm convinced he is – and it's not your duty to look after him."

Sabo feels his blood starting to boil again and his grip on the telesnail tightens.

"I'm his brother –"

"And you are 2nd in command of this organisation, and your immediate orders are to return to Baltigo as soon as you burned the corpses and all remaining traces of us," Dragon says with a stern voice, completely void of any emotion and that ticks Sabo off even more. How can the man be so calm after – after learning that his _own son_ was supposed to be –

"Just let me see him real quickly and I'll come back straight after!" Sabo yells at the telesnail.

"You heard me, Sabo."

"But-!"

It clicks and Dragon's gone. And Sabo growls loudly and throws the telesnail against the next tree. _That fucking son of a b…_

"Koala, how many are left?" he growls at the woman and she frowns at his tone.

"No one. It's empty now."

"Good."

"Sabo, what the hell are we supposed to do with the slaves? We can't take them to Baltigo!" Koala hisses at him and Sabo curses in a low voice. Shit, fucking shit, everyone is trying to hold him up!

"Fuck this!" Sabo barks and then he thrusts his arms forward, and flames our out if his hands like long, fat, red-golden snakes, all too ready to devour the building and feast on the old wood and charred corpses…

"Sabo, be careful not to burn anything else down!" Koala cries in concern, but he closes his ears to her worries, he doesn't want to hear anything about it anymore, they shall all just leave him alone and do his thing –

"Koala, bring the slaves to Grove 13, where Rayleigh's bar is. He shall take care of them!" Sabo barks.

"Rayleigh – really? Do you think he's ok with -?"

" _I don't fucking care, just do it, Koala!_ " he bellows and she falls silent at the rising anger in his voice.

Sabo increases the flames and delighted watches how the fire reaches the roof and starts devouring it like a wild beast. He can hear hurried steps departing.

He throws a glance over his shoulder and sees how Koala gestures the slaves to follow her, and the slaves, now ex-slaves, scramble to their feet, their skinny legs looking way too weak to walk, but they are brave, Sabo has to admit – no one gives up, they follow his friend into the dark of the mangroves, into the direction of Grove 13.

And a sly smile plays around Sabo's lips now as he watches how the brothel is ablaze. And then he directs the flames into a different direction and the hot, scorching wind blows his hair away from his face, revealing a beautiful sinister smirk as he hears the first horrified screams filling his ears.

* * *

"I'm flying to find Luffy and his crew!" he announces later, his hand already closing around the leash of the barn swallow that hops happily toward him, eager to fly. The air above Grove 1 is still jittering with the heat of dozens and dozens burning houses and the smell that travels toward them on Grove 13 is heavy with the scent of burning wood and molten human flesh.

"What the – No, you can't!" Koala protests. "We have orders to return to Baltigo! You already created enough of a mess, the Marines are gonna be all over the place soon!"

"That's why I'm leaving now," Sabo replies between gritted teeth. Enough playing around, he has to bloody go! Go and look for Luffy, to see if he is alright…

"I'm not going to let you leave!" Koala suddenly screeches and he's nearly knocked unconscious when her clenched fist cuts through the air above his head – he just dodged it in time, but the pressure still hurt like a motherfucker.

Damn her and her Fishman karate.

He stares at her, the last of his grin melting away and an ugly grimace settles on his features. He lets go of the leash and the bird chirps, gaining safe distance from the two angered revolutionaries.

"We're friends, Koala. But if you stand in my way, I won't hold back," Sabo growls.

And she lifts her hands, ready for combat, her face like out of stone as she replies: "I'd never expect any less of you."

Sabo is aware they have an audience, the slaves stand around them, eyes widened with fear and he can even see Rayleigh standing in the door to his bar, Shakky behind him. The Dark King's face is in the shadows, Sabo can only assume what he is thinking right now, but he couldn't care less. If someone tries to stop him – he will hurt them, hurt them _bad_ –

Because _nothing_ and _no one_ is ever coming between him and his brother again, _never again!_

"I'll say it one last time, Sabo. We have orders to return to Baltigo," Koala hisses. "I will take you with me, whether you like it or not. Dragon's orders are absolute. You already ruined the mission!"

"You would've done the same for your kin," Sabo murmurs. "But of course you don't bloody understand, you don't have any kin anymore."

He can see how her eyes become darker, all light has vanished from them, replaced by rage and perhaps something else, and Sabo knows he should feel sorry for his harsh words – but he doesn't.

All he feels inside him is boiling anger, and the feeling of being betrayed so strong his body is shaking, because one of his oldest friend – Koala – stands in his way, of all revolutionaries she knows him best, why is she trying to make this so goddamn hard, why doesn't she understand?!

And he ignites his hands, and the hot, comforting heat that doesn't hurt him anymore, makes the air around him shimmer and the flames make hard, dark shadows dance like demons over his face, over the grimace that has dug itself into his usually so gentle features, and it's the first time that anger, that _wrath_ is directed against his own people – and he closes his eyes to the hurt expression on his friend's face.

"I don't want to hurt you, Sabo," Koala says through gritted teeth, eyes cold, her lips pulled back into a hiss. "We're friends, for god's sake! Come to your senses!"

"Then fucking let me go!" Sabo replies angrily, and it's as though his anger is fuelling the fire as though he poured gasoline on it, the fire surrounds him now, like a protecting wall, pushing between himself and the one he used to think was his best friend.

"I can't do that, just understand! DRAGON ORDERED US TO RETURN TO BALTIGO!" Koala screams and Sabo flinches, and she uses that short moment of distraction to dash toward him in the blink of an eye and land a precise punch to his stomach – through the fucking flames – and he hunches down as his insides feel as though they have just been smashed to bits and he spits out blood, gritting his teeth.

"…That hurt…," he growls.

She jumps back, lifting her fists again and Sabo frowns. He wishes he had his pipe with him right now, but the ex-slave boy is god knows where. So he'll use his hands then. Good enough. Koala may be strong, but not as strong as him.

"Sabo. Please, we don't have to fight over this," Koala says, her voice calmer now. Pleading, almost.

Their eyes meet and Koala's expression, although still stern and hard, has softened a bit. "We're both soldiers. As soon as we return to Baltigo, we negotiate with Dragon to let you go and find Luffy, wherever he is."

"That takes too much time."

"If the Marines actually had him, he wouldn't hang him today. They'd execute him a few days from now, the way they did with –."

And Sabo's eyes widen and she stops talking. And then the flames around them turn blue as the heat of the fire threatens to set the air ablaze.

" _Keep talking. Remind me again what they did to my brother_ ," Sabo says in a low voice, trembling with revoked pain and all-consuming hatred.

"Remind me again how I failed to save the first friend I ever had. Remind me how I let him die, without him knowing I was still alive. Remind me how Luffy had to mourn Ace alone, without me, _remind me how I wasn't fucking there when my brothers needed me the most!"_ he shouts, his voice echoing from the mangroves, a chorus so deafening Koala looks as though she wants to press her palms against her ears, to block out the ugly truths, to block out the pain in his words, the aching regret and self-pity and thirst for vengeance that have been burning within him since the day his memories returned.

"It wasn't your fault, Sabo-" she starts weakly, but he won't hear it, not this time, they tried talking the guilt out of him, but they don't understand, they don't _want_ to understand –

"Let me leave, Koala. He is my brother, the only one I have left," he mutters, and there is a break in his voice, a quiver, and they look into each other's eyes, each silently praying for the other to give in.

But futilely.

"I can't… refuse orders, Sabo. The revolutionaries gave me a life and a purpose. I can't throw that away."

And he sighs, before his dry lips turn into a hint of a smile and he replies: "You're so loyal, Koala. It's gonna get you killed one day."

And she scoffs, before smirking: "But today is not that day."

"That depends on you."

 ** _Present Day_**

Luffy's smaller hand is clasped tightly around his and he is blindly led deeper into the forest of the island where Luffy and his crew have anchored. Or maybe it isn't Luffy who is walking without a sense of direction, it's him, who would let the younger man in front of him pull him into the depths of hell and still all he'd care about would be the warm fingers intertwined with his own and that beloved laughter ringing in his ears.

He has a vague idea what Luffy is trying to do, but maybe it's just Sabo's romantic imagination pushing against his reason. However, it's only the two of them right now. His friends have stayed at the beach and on the ship, content with being able to sleep on an unmoving ground for once. So Luffy and Sabo wander alone through the darkening forest, stumbling over roots and vegetation, and if it wasn't for Sabo's little flames enlightening their way, they would've been even more lost a while ago.

Or maybe that's the whole point behind this, and they don't have a destination, only a path they will follow until they find a place to rest. And the only thing important is them two, being together.

"Luffy?" he asks into the cheerful silence.

"Hm?"

"May I ask where we are going?"

"We're gonna watch stars together! And we will find Atlas beetle so I can show Chopper that they're so much cooler than rhinoceros beetle!"

Sabo thinks he is missing a bit of context, but he doesn't really care that much, not when Luffy's fingers tighten around his own and his heartbeat speeds up almost painfully.

He doesn't necessarily share the love for bugs and beetles, but nevertheless, Sabo's heart does a joyful somersault. Maybe Luffy does share the strangely romantic sentiment that has settled in his own chest from the moment Luffy jumped into his arms after a way too long time separated.

Maybe he, too, feels his heartbeat quicken whenever their eyes meet.

Sabo smiles softly. Gazing stars together – he hasn't done that in a long while.

And he'd love to do that again with his single most favourite person in the world.

He watches Luffy, who is still walking seemingly clueless in front of him, their fingers interwoven between them, and the little flames surrounding them flicker soothingly. They take away what would've otherwise been a chilling walk through a foreign forest at night.

But like this, it's just… like a romantic walk in the open, and their joined hands the only sign of tender, sweet affection.

At some point, they walk uphill, the sylvan slope becoming steeper with every step they take. The air freshens up and the salt once again fills Sabo's nose. Looks as though they have walked toward a cliff on the eastern side of the island.

As they have settled into the soft, long grass that covers the top of the cliff like a blanket, the night sky has turned into a sea of black, with millions and millions of brilliant little silver stars smiling down at them, and when Sabo looks ahead, he can see these stars mirrored in the calm water of the Grand Line and he feels he stands within eternity, with no beginning, no ending, it's just them two, and the endlessness of their freedom.

They lie down in the grass and it's surprisingly soft, perhaps because no one has been walking through it for years. They both have their elbows behind their heads, gazing upward and for a moment Sabo feels like he is falling, because he doesn't know where to look first, and the sky above is so wide and deep and an ocean he'd love to dive in, to discover the secrets, see places people have never seen before.

He feels a soft tug at his hair and he turns his eyes to see Luffy looking at him, his fingers tangled in his wavy blond strands.

"Sabo – why are you here?"

He carefully chooses his words, while Luffy continues; his voice laced with…trouble?

"I mean, I love that you are here, I couldn't be happier about it, I promise! After you just left on Dressrosa, without saying goodbye, I wondered when I'd see you again," he says and now, remorse darkens his tone.

"But, I still don't get it, you fly here, with that bird, and you're covered in blood and bruises and you look like you've been in a battle, but you don't act like you've been? What the hell, Sabo?

"Did something happen to you guys? Is my old man hurt or so?! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU SABO?!" and Luffy is yelling now and Sabo quickly grips his hand.

Luffy stops talking, but his breathing is still laboured, as though there are so many more words that want to get out of him.

Sabo waits for a heartbeat or so, his eyes locking with Luffy's darkened stare.

"There was… Koala and I had to meet a spy of ours on Sabaody Archipelago. He was late, so I strolled over Grove 1. And then I saw something that made me really angry."

And Luffy's brows furrow and he motions him to continue.

"I saw a poster. A poster of a brothel near-by, and they…they advertised men to come and have sex…with you."

And Sabo really hasn't been expecting anything, but this… Luffy's face just freezes, his expression going as blank as the slave boy's when he was on his fours, getting fucked from two sides, with a whole audience of disgusting men around them, adoring the sight of the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates on the floor, beaten, defeated, fucked and used by them as they saw fit.

Luffy's eyes become dull, and for a split second it painfully reminds Sabo of a corpse.

"Luffy-"

"What did you do then?" Luffy asks in a dead voice and the sudden realisation hits Sabo like a kick in the gut that Luffy – _his_ Luffy – is not a kid anymore and he knows what happens on Sabaody. Of course, he's been there before. And he knows what pirates are like, not everyone is a nice and friendly as he is, there are horrendous pirates out there, and they don't look for One Piece, they only look to create chaos, to kill for the sake of the kill, to loot, to murder and to rape, to show whoever is still alive to witness just how mad and terrifying they are, the strongest among the waves, mocking the Marines with their cruelty.

Leaving behind a pile of bodies. Used. Broken. Destroyed.

Luffy learned it all, one way or another, and Sabo…should've been aware. He's not…oblivious anymore.

Not an innocent child anymore, blind to the many ugly sides of the adult world.

Luffy, now 19, knows full well what a brothel is, from whoever has explained it to him. And he knows what happens in these brothels. The pain, the guilt, the horrors behind the walls of such.

"Sabo, _what happened then?!_ " Luffy asks, stern now and the volume rising again and Sabo sighs.

"I went there to see if it was you – it could've been, for all I knew. I was angry. But I saw it was just a slave boy who looked like you."

"How many?"

"What?"

"How many…were there?"

"With the boy?"

Luffy nods, disgust now written over his face.

"Probably…a dozen. Who knows how long he's been there."

And Luffy blinks, his face going blank again, as he sits up fully, his eyes lost. His fingers start clawing at his clothes in distress and Sabo already regrets having told him the bloody truth –

"Luffy…"

He grips his fingers and Luffy's hands grip his like vices, he winces, and he's almost afraid Luffy might break his bones.

"So...they thought…they thought they were fucking… _me_."

And Sabo feels the anger flaring up inside him again as Luffy puts it into words and god how much he wishes he could kill these men again…and again…to his heart's content…

"Yes," he replies simply and Luffy jumps up, stumbling over to the edge of the cliff, his hands pressing to his sides as he bends forward.

Sabo scrambles to his feet, _are you throwing up, oh god, please no…_

"What did you do?" Luffy suddenly barks, turning around, his eyes big and spitting poison. "Did you kill them? And what about the boy, did you get him out of there?! Sabo!"

"I killed them. I let them suffer, I promise. The boy is alive and safe. And so are all the other slaves who were in that building."

"That's…ok…," Luffy says between gritted teeth and he turns around again, facing the sea.

They stand like that for what feels an eternity. Sabo hasn't told Luffy the entire truth…it's not the right time, yet, but…

He's been expecting him to be upset, but knowing that these men raped a slave boy, thinking it was him… Sabo can only wonder what it does to your mind.

"…I feel dirty now…," Luffy mutters, his hands coming up to grab his own upper arms and his fingers dig deep, as though they wanted to pull that disgusted feeling out of his skin. "I feel…I wanna throw up."

And Sabo only hesitates a heartbeat, before he comes closer and puts his arms around the smaller man's shoulders. Luffy freezes for a second, but then he relaxes and Sabo, although his heart is thundering inside his chest, pulls him even closer to wrap him inside his devilish warmth that once belonged to Ace, and with gentle, slow rubs he slowly eases the tension out of the younger man's body.

And after a while, Luffy sighs.

"Shanks never said...anything about this side. Of being a pirate. And having a high bounty. He never mentioned it. Not a word."

"He didn't want to spoil your dream," Sabo murmurs.

He puts his hands atop Luffy's and gently strokes his knuckles.

"I'm sorry about this. All of this. I shouldn't have told you… But of these disgusting people, no one is left alive. I let them suffer, I tore them apart and I let them know who I was. I wanted them to know."

 ** _A day prior_**

"Argh…" Koala hisses as he aims a kick to her abdomen and she isn't fast enough to dodge. She jumps back and he's after her, there's no fucking running, he aims another blow to her stomach, but she sees it coming and –

"Fuck…" he breathes as he falls to his knees, her punch feels as though her fist went through his chest and he clutches the front of his shirt, trying to get air into his lungs that feel as though they have lost their ability to function anymore.

He looks up and sees her spitting blood out and wiping her mouth. Bruises form on her skin, but she lifts her fists again. Damn her. Never knows when to stop.

He gets back on his feet. He's avoided using fire directly, he doesn't want to seriously hurt her – but this farce is taking to bloody long, he needs to go!

"Koala. Just let me leave. Tell Dragon I knocked you out, he won't punish you!" he begs now. "I have to know if Luffy is ok!"

And she just shakes her head violently.

"I can't do that! Damn it, Sabo, we're not your damn enemies! Calm the hell down and we will figure out what to do!" she replies angrily.

"You might as well be my enemy, if you stand between me and my brother," he retorts darkly.

"Fuck this, that's why _I_ didn't want you to remember," Koala snarls and Sabo freezes.

His heart drops and suddenly, the fire inside him dies down as he stares at her, feeling as if a bucket of ice has been dropped inside his guts.

"What…did you just say?" he asks slowly, his voice barely a whisper and she takes a shaky breath as she steps backwards.

"N-Nothing."

 _"What did you say?!"_ he asks, following her, his voice rising to a scream. **"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY!?".**

And that's what pushes her over the edge as she screams back: _"Have you never fucking wondered? How fucking convenient it was that you remembered right after your brother died? They didn't_ _ **want**_ _you to remember, because they knew you'd become an over-protective piece of shit like now!"_

" _You're supposed to be a soldier and yet you are ready to go against all orders just because of your brother! Obviously they didn't want you to remember!_ " Koala yells and every word might as well been a stab to his heart, a clean cut right through his chest and he's surprised not to see blood seeping out of his shirt.

He stares at her, dizzy now, his head spinning and her voice fades away in the storm of boiling blood rushing through his veins.

Does that…mean the revolutionaries…were the ones who didn't let him remember? It wasn't amnesia, or maybe it was, but they prolonged it…for years…and years…so they could shape him into the soldier he is now, make him fight for them, without being worried…

That he'd leave to become a pirate, like his brothers.

He has trouble standing straight as the weight of the realisation pushes him down, like a boot on his shoulders, and his lungs fail him again as he sinks to his knees, his body trembling, dark spots swimming in front of his eyes.

"You…you're lying," he chokes out.

And her answer is a brutal right hook that hits his left temple and he crashes to the ground, boring a crater underneath his body from the impact and pain explodes in his head as he lies in the dirt, blood dripping down the side of his face, colouring his world crimson red.

And for seconds that feel like a lifetime, everything starts to make sense, every damn detail suddenly forms a bigger picture he hasn't be able to see until now, hasn't want to see till now.

The memory loss that lasted way longer than amnesia normally lasts. Everyone dodging his questions where the hell he was from. Dragon himself training him because he knew there was nothing else in his life anymore, only the purpose of serving the revolutionary army.

An empty head – so easy to be filled with their ideas, their ideals, their goals…

And for all these years that aching inside him…the knowledge that something was wrong, but never quite pointing out what it was.

And then…they _let_ him remember…?

Why? To use his fury and anger for the army, use his reawakened motivation so he'd go out of his way to have the Mera Mera no Mi, so the revolutionaries had the powers of that Devil fruit for themselves.

Why… So Sabo would want revenge, and pour every last drop of his blood into the mission of overthrowing the World Government? So that Dragon knew Sabo would remember Luffy and become some sort of guardian angel in times of trouble, because Dragon himself was the worst father there ever could be? Because Ace wasn' there anymore to protect Luffy? Dragon, a father from nightmares... Abandoning his own child, taking in another that seemed more fit to become a soldier, unlike his own son?

The world keeps spinning as Sabo tastes blood in his mouth and he coughs.

If it's true…then they did not save him out of mercy. It was so they could form him into the fighter, the warrior he is now. And although everything he's ever wanted was freedom, he's now tied, hanging on strings, just like a puppet in the devilish game between forces much stronger than him.

And his eyes refocus and he sees Koala standing not too far away, watching him with emotions battling in her eyes, and Sabo grits his teeth as he stands up again.

He will cut the strings.

One by one.

And a smirk spreads on his lips as he starts laughing in a low voice.

"So you guys deceived me, huh? You all knew and left me running through the dark? For twelve fucking years?" he whispers, his voice laced with humour now.

He ignites his hands, so hot the flames burn blue. "You shouldn't have told me Koala."

He hears a short whistle and his eyes dash to the side where now the boy has finally reappeared, Sabo's pipe clutched in his scrawny hands. And the boy nods at him, throwing the pipe high through the air – and right into his hands.

"Thanks."

And once again they stand in front of each other, each unwilling to let the other go. It's more now than plain obedience and disobedience due to selfish reasons. So much more has been uncovered and Sabo knows, however this will end, he needs to talk to Dragon soon, one way or another. And if he's not considered a revolutionary anymore by then – then that's it.

"Sabo. I know you are furious right now. But calm down and we will talk about it," Koala suddenly mutters and he laughs without humour.

"A bit too late now, isn't it?" And he clenches his burning hands around the pipe. "Give it your best."

And he dashes towards her and last thing he sees before his vision zeroes in on his relentless, brutal attacks is himself reflected in her eyes, like a burning demon, a crazy smile on his bloodied face.

She lets out a gurgled cry and the smell of burned flesh rises to his nostrils as his pipe swings and she dodges the brutal blast with her right arm folded back to protect the side of her head. Her face becomes a pained grimace and a small part of him does feel sorry, they've been friends for so long – but then again, the army took twelve years of his life, playing him like a puppet and the thought alone makes his skin crawl in disgust because in a way, he's been just as fucked as the slave boy, over and over, without his memories –

"Urgh…," he lets out as he reacts too late and her foot sinks deep into his stomach and a new wave of blood comes splashing out of his mouth. _Fuck that hurt…_

And as revenge he swings his pipe with a scaring rigour and the blow smashes her sideways into the ground and in a heartbeat he's above her, the burning end of his pipe boring into her right shoulder blade.

"Stay down, Koala. Or there will be a hole in your body," he says between gritted teeth, the blood still dripping out of the corners of his mouth and his organs still feel as though they've been ripped apart.

"Fuck you," she coughs and he adds more pressure and her curses become screams of pain.

He senses a shifting on the left side of his vision and he lifts his gaze. Rayleigh is approaching them now, slowly, his hands folded behind his back. His face is unreadable, but the weight of his aura already starts pressing down on him. Most of the slaves around them have fainted already.

He stops in front of them.

"That's enough," the old man says simply.

And Sabo waits a heartbeat or two, before he lifts the pipe and steps away. Koala has fallen unconscious.

And then he whistles and the barn swallow comes closer, bewildered, but unable to understand what her humans have been doing.

"…Take care of her. Please," he mutters with his eyes locked on his friend's face. He grips the leash of the bird.

"You've created quite a chaos, Sabo."

"…"

"Say hi to your brother."

And Sabo turns around again. "Any opinion on this matter?"

And Rayleigh snorts, amused. "I'm staying out of this. Just remember, Sabo, who your real enemies are."

"If it's true what Koala said, they took my memories. I could've saved _him_. It's their fault Ace died." And his voice breaks at the end.

"But they rescued you. Gave you a life and a home and a family. Trained you. Gave you a purpose."

Sabo lowers his head. And then he bows to the Dark King. "Tell her I'm sorry. Please."

"If she wants to hear it."

And with that Sabo bows again and jumps onto the bird, leaving Sabaody behind him within the blink of an eye.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Present day_**

Sabo perhaps should feel guilty after what happened, but to be honest… he doesn't quite know what to feel.

Should he feel deceived, betrayed, humiliated and ridiculed…? Probably.

Or relieved that he finally knows the truth?

He wants to understand. He wants to know what else about the revolutionaries he doesn't know, despite him being with them for twelve years. He needs to ask himself… does he still want to be a part of them.

Do they still want them to be a part of them, after the fight between him and Koala?

Would Dragon still want him as 2nd in command? Or is he considered a traitor now? Will they hunt him down, like prey?

He swallows.

What even is he without the revolutionary army?

 _No one. Alone._

 _Without them, I'm no one who has any say in the course of this world._

The physical distance has put his mind a bit at ease, although it hasn't eradicated it in his head. But instead of thinking about it, he much rather pushes it to the back, because something – someone – much more important is with him right now. And there's not a universe in which he wouldn't choose focussing his thoughts on Luffy, instead of bloody politics.

At some point, Luffy has turned around in his arms, burying his face in his chest, but other than that he is surprisingly or maybe not so surprisingly quiet. Sabo's hands wander aimlessly over his back, up and down, again and again, in a soothing gesture to ease the remaining anxiety and tension out of his body.

"…Shall we go back to the ship?" Sabo asks, but Luffy shakes his head, his fingers clenching a bit more into his shirt.

"Hmmmm," Luffy hums, sounding annoyed.

Sabo sighs, before he gently pushes him back. "Luffy, look at me."

And Luffy stubbornly looks to the side, avoiding his gaze and internally, Sabo rolls his eyes. Alright, he might be 19 now, but somehow, he still acts like a kid at times. Most times, it seems.

"Hey, look at me, c'mon. Luffy."

And finally, Luffy turns his still darkened gaze toward Sabo and Sabo can see the distress still so evident in his eyes, the inability to fully comprehend why…why these men had to sully his…his self, why him of all people, and why like _that_.

"Listen, Luffy, these people are all dead. They will never ever touch you, no one will, I promise you. No one is ever going to dirty you. You are too strong to be humiliated like that. These peasants could never hurt you, so don't let it get to you, ok? Fucking a slave boy and imagining it's you is the closest they will ever get to touching you, do you hear me? No one will ever touch you and if they do, I will burn them alive. Did you hear what I said? No one will ever touch you against your will."

And Luffy stares at him for a long time, before his mouth turns into a small smile and the light returns to his eyes. Sabo smiles back. That's it, that's what he wants to see.

"Ok? So please don't think about it anymore?" Sabo whispers and pulls Luffy closer again, for a warm, solid hug and Luffy's arms sling around his neck and Sabo laughs softly into the raven hair.

"Thank you, Sabo," Luffy sighs. "Wow, but these assholes, if I ever see some ad like that, I'll go visit them myself –"

And Sabo's eyes grow wide, the mere thought of Luffy walking into a brothel, even with the intent of beating up some assholes, has his heart beat faster in trouble.

No, _NO HELLO NO_ his Luffy is never gonna go even near a brothel, definitely no, he will not permit that! It's enough if he knows what a brothel is, but he's never gonna step inside one of those, no!

And Sabo pushes him back by his shoulders and he has a hard time maintaining his smile as he replies with a twitching eye brow: "We'll see about that, alright? And now let's change the topic, please?"

"Alright fiiiiine… Shishi, Sabo, why are suddenly all red in the face?" Luffy laughs and Sabo rolls his eyes, pulling him closer again in one swift movement and he starts tickling him.

"Whose fault do you think it is?" he says and Luffy's laughter becomes louder as Sabo remembers just where his most ticklish spots are.

Luffy tries to flee from his fingers but Sabo would have none of that, his little monkey is one to talk…

They stumble back into the grass in a pile of arms and legs and feet and Sabo finds himself being straddled by Luffy's slender thighs and his hands pinned into the grass by the laughing boy above him.

"Gotcha! Damn, Sabo, stop with the tickles!" Luffy pants, his chest still having form the laughter.

"Aww, looks like you got me pinned now. You sure you can hold me down, though?" Sabo grins back. And with that he flips him over faster than Luffy can even react, but Sabo, being the good brother and friend he is, looks out that Luffy doesn't hit his head. Not that it would do him any harm since he's out of rubber, but still…

"AHHH Sabo!" Luffy protests, trying to wiggle free, but futilely.

"Sooo… I think I'm seeing a blush on _your_ face now, cheeky monkey," Sabo grins down at the younger man and Luffy pouts, the obvious blush darkening.

"…Hm, what?"

"I could never win against Ace, either," Luffy pouts.

Sabo's heart does a painful leap. _Ace, hm…_

He blinks, before he smiles: "And… what would Ace do after having you pinned to the ground? Continue to tickle you?"

And Sabo's fingers, again, tickle Luffy's sides and Luffy's laughter is seriously the best thing he has ever heard, the most beautiful, innocent laugh he could ever imagine.

"Shishishi, n-no, S-Sabo, sto – hahaha – it!" Luffy yelps between laughing as he tries to stop his fingers.

"H-He w-woul-"

And suddenly, Luffy's hand grabs the front of his shirt with a determined look on his still cheerful face and he's pulled down and next thing Sabo knows is the touch of warm lips against his own.

* * *

It's as though time has stopped and the universe is holding its breath to watch. For a moment that feels like an eternity of silence all Sabo feels is the tender pressure of Luffy's lips against his own, his soft breathing dancing like a caress over his cheeks and his own heart that thunders so painfully hard against his ribcage that he thinks he will have bruises the next morning and god does he want them, want all the signs on his skin that this…is…happening…

He…they…are kissing…?

And with blood rushing to his ears and the world starting to happily spin around him, Sabo returns the pressure, slowly lifting his hand to caress Luffy's cheek, before he slips his hand into the boy's nape, gently urging him to increase the contact.

Luffy's pulse is so fast, he can feel the deep vibration within him and Sabo shares it, shares the overwhelming bliss coming from such a seemingly small contact, the overwhelming desire for _more_ and _closer and more, more…!_

As they break away, Luffy's red lips turn into a smile and the blush high on his cheeks is so adorable Sabo's heart clenches and the boy's eyes are wide, his pupils blown, and the stars above reflect themselves in them and Sabo thinks Luffy has never looked more beautiful, more perfect than in this moment.

But then the realisation hits him and his smile wavers as he remembers Luffy's words… That…so Luffy and Ace..?

He frowns and Luffy, still with his arms slung around Sabo's neck, looks at him questioningly.

"Huh?"

"So…you and Ace…?" Sabo asks and he can't help feeling…insanely jealous of his oldest friend.

 _I mean… rather Ace than anyone else…but damnit, Ace! So you taught him how to kiss?!_

And Luffy's eyebrows rise and his face says so clearly: _Seriously, Sabo?_ that Sabo actually has to stifle his laughter.

"Sorry."

"I mean, who did _you_ practice with, huh?" Luffy pouts and now it's Sabo's turn to get flustered.

"Y-you know, I don't think that's all that important…"

"I wanna know!"

And Sabo rubs his nose, before he has a different idea. He leans back down and carefully brushes his lips over Luffy's forehead and then to his ear and he whispers: "Rather _you_ tell _me_ what else you and Ace have been doing?"

And he feels Luffy trembling at his hot whisper and as he looks him in the eyes again, Luffy's face is deep red, his lips slightly parted.

"N-Nothing…more…"

"Sure? Or are you too shy to tell me?" Sabo asks amused and he moves one hand to Luffy's face, he gently strokes his silky lips with his fingertips and Luffy just looks at him, too many emotions reflected in his eyes and Sabo decides to not tease him any further.

He's with him now, anyways.

"Can I…kiss you again?" he whispers and Luffy nods, his hands finding their way into Sabo's hair.

"You want to?" Luffy asks back and Sabo smiles and nods.

"If you want me, too?"

And Luffy nods and their lips press together again, with more confidence this time and Sabo feels himself melting into the kiss, he has his eyes closed and it still is as though he could see him, through the feeling of the warm lips against his, the feeling of the young, vibrating body beneath his own, the cold grass under his right hand supporting his upper body and gods how can a moment like this, after the craziness of the past few days…cure his troubled mind, cure his troubled heart…?

Something so simple…and yet…

He dares his tongue a little forward, gently probing the younger's lips and god Sabo think his heart is going to ignite itself as Luffy willingly open his lips, letting him inside.

It's a dance, a miracle, Sabo knows no other words to describe it – something impossibly beautiful in every way, something he'd never thought possible, he's thought about it, perhaps, in the deep of the night, but he never would've thought it would happen, and yet here he is, his tongue sliding against Luffy's, with a silent urgency guiding their movements, _deeper, more, I want more of you…_

And Sabo wants to continue kissing these lips, lips that feel like they were made just for him alone, but Luffy breaks the contact, gasping and his heated, moist breath ghosts over Sabo's face and he can't help himself, he has to capture these lips again and he may not be a pirate – but _god_ does he want to steal his lips, steal his breath, steal his voice and keep them for themselves, because he is just a greedy and certainly as possessive as every man would be who has fallen head over heels and whose feelings are, against all odds, being returned from the very loved one.

"Hah…Sabo…," Luffy wheezes, his face flushed and his eyes gleaming with want. "Sabo…"

"Luffy…You ok?"

And Luffy nods, his swollen, puffy lips pulling into a radiant smile that makes Sabo feel like he is dancing on clouds, and he tenderly strokes Luffy's heated cheek.

"Would it be…ok to continue…?"

And Luffy blinks, before he laughs in a low voice and stretches his neck to give him the sweetest kiss possible and his heart races faster than should be humanly possible.

"Yeah…," Luffy simply breathes and in a heartbeat Sabo has changed their positions a bit, he sits back and lifts Luffy into his lap so he doesn't have to lie on the grass anymore. He pulls Luffy even closer, with one arm around his slim waist, until their pelvises meet and they gasp as their obvious signs of arousal touch.

"Sabo…"

"It's ok…," he whispers and he kisses him again and there's this carnal hunger spreading inside him, this raw desire for more, for deeper, for everything, he needs, he wants –

The world is spinning and sweat starts glistening on their skin as their movements become more daring, more bold and as they once again break apart, Luffy rubs his evident erection shamelessly against Sabo's and Sabo acknowledges his adorable audacity in leaving butterfly kisses down his throat, before licking the salty skin and sinking his teeth into the flesh.

"Haargh, god, Sabo…," Luffy gasps as he continues to lick the hot flesh. It can't possibly hurt, he's made of rubber – but still…

"So even you can have hickeys," he murmurs sultrily into Luffy's ear. "Then I'll leave some more, ok?"

And Luffy's response is a sudden yank at his hair and Luffy's lips crash against his, greedy, hungry and Sabo is more than happy to give him everything he wants…

Sabo's hands wander up and down Luffy's back, his fingers moving closer and closer toward the waistband of his jeans. But he's not quite…sure…

"Luf-Luffy, wait… Are you sure?" he manages to ask, although his erect, eager cock twitches in protest inside his trousers, his body wants to move things along and damn he agrees, but this is Luffy, his treasure, his sun…

Never will he do anything that will hurt his body, his heart, his mind, his dignity or reputation.

There's nothing he wouldn't do for him.

And all Luffy does is hugging him tightly, his hips slightly rolling into his and Sabo's breathing stops somewhere halfway out his lungs as he feels Luffy's smaller hand grip his hand…l-leading him to…

"Oh my god…," Sabo whispers, the world spinning even stronger now and what the hell did Ace teach him to be this bold but then again, it's Luffy…

Like he's ever been embarrassed in his life…

And his hand rests on the obvious, hot bulge in Luffy's jeans and Sabo's throat becomes parched and he licks his lips as the hunger inside him becomes so strong he's about to rip Luffy's clothes off –

"Sabo…touch me…," Luffy's voice is low, but demanding as the little spoiled brat he is and Sabo can't help but grin and as he rubs him through the thick fabric of his jeans and Luffy gasps, arching into his touch.

"You like that?" Sabo says huskily and he loves how Luffy's body arches into his in a perfect bow and the vest is open anyways, and suddenly Luffy's tanned skin is so close he can sense the heavy thumping of his heart inside his chest and Sabo leans forward, softly kissing the exposed skin, his collarbones, his throat, he licks lovingly over the x-scar on the boy's chest and Luffy _moans_ , his still confined cock pulsating underneath Sabo's touch.

And Sabo grits his teeth at the sound and he is two second from coming in his pants, just from the sound of Luffy moaning, voice coated thickly with nothing but pleasure –

"T-touch me more, Sabo!" Luffy demands and Sabo kisses the corner of his mouth before he looks him in the clouded eyes, blown wide with arousal.

"Are you sure? Luffy?"

"Yes! Yes!" Luffy replies impatiently, his fingers pulling at Sabo's hair and he pushes his ass even deeper into Sabo's lap, right above his groin and Sabo winces.

"Urgh, ok, ok… cheeky monkey…"

And Sabo loosens the yellow fabric Luffy uses as a belt (god knows why he doesn't use a normal belt like everyone else) and then, holding his breath, he opens the button and pulls the zipper down.

Luffy groans impatiently and his gaze is lifted again and Luffy's lips press against his, urgently, his tongue boldly looking for contact and Sabo feels his cock pulse heavily as Luffy's body is pressed flush against his own and his hand closes around Luffy's rock hard dick, he loves the velvet feeling underneath his fingers and Luffy rocks into his grip, moaning into his mouth so wantonly Sabo's hips jerk forward.

"Sabo…"

"Luffy…"

They kiss, but soon Sabo breaks away to latch upon his throat, working on another crimson hickey, and then he moves his lips lower, toward the boy's chest – and his eyes fixed on Luffy who watches him intently, his face flush, his hair dishevelled and his whole appearance screams sex so loudly Sabo is almost surprised that they don't have an audience yet but then again, it's a deserted island –

 _Are we gonna have sex out in the open?_

His lips close around Luffy's left nipple, he sucks lightly on the nub, before he circles his tongue around it and it swells in his mouth and his right hand becomes moist with the boy's precum leaking out of the head.

He feels Luffy's finger returning to his hair, gripping tightly as soon as he sucks harder, and he lifts his other hand to roll the other nipple around between his fingers, he plays with it until it's erect and pert and he can't help but laugh lightly as Luffy wriggles away from his touch, an annoyed whisper coming from him.

"You afraid you're gonna come from your nipples?" Sabo teases him and Luffy sticks his tongue out at him.

"Get on with it!

"Get on with what?" he continues to tease.

And he jumps when Luffy's hand suddenly squeezes his cock through his trousers. "With _this_!"

Sabo gives the younger a dirty look. "You're a mood killer."

"Then hurry, Sabo!" Luffy whines impatiently and Sabo sighs. Like he could ever say no to him…

If Luffy would ask him to go bring him a golden unicorn he'd do it, seriously, this guy has him wrapped around his little finger…

"Ok, ok, shhh… I'll make it good for both of us," he hushes him, softly coaxing him into a passionate, but slow kiss again, and he leans him back down into the grass. He doesn't have a blanket or coat or whatever to protect his back… but Luffy's body is rubber, so it shouldn't be too bad, right..?

Sabo, now kneeling between Luffy's thighs, has a much better position like this to give the short man pleasure in every way he can imagine. He leans down, leaving fleeting kisses on his chest, whilst he continues on working his leaking shaft.

Luffy's hands wander over his chest and abdomen, and Sabo smiles, letting him open the buttons so he can slide his fingertips over his heated skin and Sabo wonders if he can feel it – the fire – inside him, he wonders if he can feel the amazing heat inside him, his thundering, thundering heart.

He helps Luffy slide the annoying jeans off and it's remarkable, really, just how quickly Luffy has gotten accostumed to this, only a few hours ago they've merely been sworn brothers, no more, no less, and now…

 _Now I'm about to…_

"Hah, Sabo…," Luffy breathes as he moves his head lower, sucking another mark into his hip, before he moves down to his leaking erection, standing proud.

"I'll use my mouth, ok? Luffy?" he mutters and Luffy nods, his hands clawing into Sabo's hair, as he give his cock a tentative lick, teasing, and Luffy gasps, and with a soft laugh Sabo starts sucking on the base, before he licks the whole way up, his tongue flat, and Luffy's dick jerking in his hand, coating it with so much precum…

God what a turn on, such a magnificent sight and Luffy writhing with need, only from a few touches…

Sabo laps playfully over the rosy, moist head and suddenly Luffy's hips buck up, but he's been expecting it, the boy has literally no self-control. Sabo's hand effectively pins him back down, holding him still and he feels the tremors in his body, even stronger than he's thought and Sabo feels himself heating up, involuntarily, and suddenly his left hand that rests on Luffy's stomach starts burning –

"Gyah, Sabo!"

"Woah, shhh, it's ok, nothing's gonna happen to you!" he says hastily and kills the flame again before it can cause any damage to the beloved body lying under his own.

"What the hell, Sabo…?!" Luffy gasps.

"Shh, I'll make you feel good, don't worry, it's not gonna happen again…," he mutters reassuringly, leaning up to kiss him, before he gets back down to work.

He kisses the head, before he swirls his tongue around it, always grazing the slit without actually dipping in and Luffy tries to move, tries to increase the friction and Sabo's heart thunders painfully because he's the one who is making him feel like this, so complete and utterly aroused, giving himself to Sabo with so much trust and affection –

And Sabo surprises the younger as he suddenly swallows him down without any warning and Luffy arches off the ground, a strangled cry erupting from his throat and saltiness fills Sabo's mouth and he lets the cock slide deep and he feels the foreshocks running through Luffy's body – and he pulls back, letting the wet, hard cock fall against Luffy's abdomen and Luffy looks at him as though he'd just committed the world's most horrendous crime and Sabo has to stifle his laughter.

"Sorry, but there's plenty more to come," he whispers apologetically and Luffy growls.

"What?!"

And Sabo reaches to his own back pocket and he pulls out a small tin.

"What is that?"

"It's actually a salve to treat burns. I thought it'd be good to carry one with me since, uhm…well I catch fire sometimes. It's no oil but it'll do," Sabo explains, coating two of his fingers with the salve.

"Shishishi, so considerate," Luffy takes the piss and for his cheeky comment, Sabo grabs his cock again.

"Should I be less considerate?" he asks grinning, pumping the still-hard cock, whilst his fingers now circle Luffy's entrance and a fresh blush spreads over Luffy's cheeks.

They lock eyes once again and Sabo smiles as Luffy's gaze flickers to his lips and back – and he gives into the silent question and leans forward to kiss his lips.

Distracting him with a deep kiss that makes them both shudder in delight, with their tongue sliding tightly around each other, a gentle struggle for dominance, Sabo carefully nudges Luffy's entrance and after a few moments, his body lets him in and god –

 _Shit he's tight…_

"Relax, Luffy. It's ok, relax," he murmurs against Luffy's lips and Luffy hums, half agreeing, half bemused, and Sabo feels the walls of his channel slowly loosening, allowing him to sink his finger deeper, spreading the slave to slick his insides up.

His finger moves around, searching, it has to be –

"Gyaaargh, Sabo, fuuuuck!" Luffy suddenly cries, his walls clenching around him and Sabo smirks.

"Looks like a found a nice spot, huh?" he whispers, his voice dripping with lust. And pumping his twitching cock, keeping him at the edge of his orgasm, he enters a second finger and Sabo thinks he's never felt more blessed to have Luffy be out of rubber and therefor stretchable nearly without limits.

Luffy, a panting, sweating mess is laying in the grass, his dark eyes watching him as he finally opens his trousers and Sabo's cock, confined for too long, springs free. He pumps himself, giving himself a bit of relief, as he suddenly feel a smaller hand over his own and he meets Luffy's gaze.

"I want you," Luffy whispers, cheeks flushed, hair tousled, cock leaking – but his eyes sincere, and his smile genuine ad Sabo's heart does a painful thud and his blood starts boiling again, rushing through his veins as he…

Realises, he will have sex with him… The one he loves most in the world, the one he considers his friend, his brother, his everything, the one who means most to him, his most important person in the world…

His treasure, so precious, so unbelievably gorgeous and unique and rare and perfect all at once.

And he – they – will… will have sex…sleep together, make love…

 _Really?_

Luffy must've felt his hesitation as he searches for his gaze, his brows furrowing. "Sabo? You ok?"

"Are you…are you sure you want this?" Sabo mutters, hoarse suddenly.

If they do it…there's no turning back. There's no way to erase the fact that it has happened, it will forever be… there, present, in the forefront of their minds, that they have joined their bodies in the most ancient way humans know…

And what if Luffy starts hating him, what if he will tell him to leave and never come back, because Sabo is supposed to be his brother, not his lover and what if he will be horrible and hurt Luffy or make him cry, Luffy will never want to see him again –

"Sabo. I want you."

And Luffy's words cut through his thoughts like a candle enlightened in a room of absolute darkness.

"Luffy…"

"Please, Sabo. Don't you want me?" Luffy asks, his voice trembling now and Sabo, without a moment of thinking, pulls him closer, hugging him tightly.

"Of course. Of course I want you, silly…"

And Luffy presses their lips together, slides his tongue into Sabo's mouth and Sabo closes his eyes, giving himself over to his desires and like through a haze of heat and bliss and kisses he guides his erect cock to Luffy's entrance, and his eyes fixed on the boy's expression, he pushes inside, and Luffy's face becomes troubled for a split second and Sabo feels reluctance in the walls around him, but then Luffy relaxes and he slides in, without a problem, into a body that has no problem to accommodate his cock.

A devilish power, truly.

He hisses at the feeling of Luffy's channel clenching around him, he leans his forehead against Luffy's shoulder and Luffy's fingers are tangled in his hair again, whispering words he can't comprehend.

And then he feels Luffy's hips move up, trying to increase the friction and Sabo pulls back, only to slam back into the lean, beautiful body and they both gasp and with a new found boldness, he thrusts deeper, deeper, rocking both their bodies in a never-ending movement, carnal and animalistic and so so right, it feels so right, in a way he doesn't understand yet, but he knows it's right, the way they feel together, how their bodies slide together as though the universe made them just for this moment alone.

"Haah….Haaa…," Luffy moans every time he thrusts right into his sweet spot, his tongue long forgotten how to form words and Sabo's hands on Luffy's hips are bruising, but he needs to get…deeper…more... _I want more…_

And then Luffy's fingers bite into his shoulders and Sabo feels that he's close and he drives his cock into his spot again and again and _again_ , merciless, until Luffy lets out a cry, is back arches up in a beautoful curve and white hot liquid spurts onto their chests and Sabo doesn't let him rest, he drives back into his spot and Luffy's walls clench down on him helplessly, fluttering with the intensity of his orgasm and Sabo feels himself peaking, he's close, he can't keep it up, not with Luffy clenching around him like that –

And with a final thrust deep inside him he releases, filling him to the brim with liquid heat, his hips stuttering and coming to hold and he collapses on top of Luffy, boneless, breathless, but with a warm, strong, unknown feeling settling in his chest.

 **Robin**

She looks up from her morning coffee as the telesnail on the small table next to the sofa starts ringing. They're all sitting at the large dining table in the kitchen, well everyone except Luffy and Sabo, who didn't come back last night.

No one is seriously concerned about that, they're brothers; they probably fell asleep after talking the entire night…

"Who wants to get that?" Usopp yawns, playing with the tea bag in his mug.

"You're all so lazy," Nami sighs, standing up and walking over to answer the call.

Robin draws her attention back to her coffee as Nami suddenly turns around, her voice rising.

" – Wait, hang on, I'll put you on speaker –"

And suddenly, the familiar voice of Koala, of the revolutionary army, fills the room and Robin look up in surprise. Why is Koala calling them?

And…doesn't she sound..in distress?

"Hey guys, I'm terribly sorry I'm calling, but you have to tell me if Sabo is with you guys?" the hoarse voice chokes out and Robin sees her crewmates sharing confused glances.

"Yes, he's here, Koala. What's the matter?" Robin answers.

"Robin! Listen, something terrible has happened, ok, have you seen the newspaper?"

"I'll get it," Brook offers, standing up and hurrying outside.

"Koala, what happened?" Robin asks again, her voice calm, but… suddenly, an awful feeling starts tightening her stomach.

"I-It was… the day before yesterday, w-we were on Sabaody a-and…," and suddenly Koala's voice is interrupted by a violent sob.

"Oh dear…Lord..," suddenly Brook's voice says behind Robin and she turns around.

"We…fought a-and…he burned down h-half of Grove 1," Koala sobs.

"…The Marines found more than 60 corpses…," Sanji says, reading over Brook's shoulder.

"60…," Nami repeats, her eyes wide.

"Koala, what do you mean you fought?"

"Be-because Dragon o-ordered us t-to return to Baltigo and Sabo, he-he refused and we got a-angry and I t-told him the truth…a-about his m-memories and he…," Koala stops again, snuffling.

Robin feels a shudder run down her spine.

"Sabo was angry, be-because a br-brothel sold a slave a-as Luffy – a-and he wanted t-to see if you guys w-ere alright and I didn't w-want to l-let him leave," she sobs and Robin changes a glance with Franky.

"P-Please, Robin, S-Sabo – he's n-not how he u-used to be! He's d-dangerous!"

"We need to find the two of them," Franky mumbles.

"Koala, do you have our coordinates? Are revolutionaries on their way?" Robin asks.

"N-Not yet, b-but Dragon h-hasn't said a-anything y-yet… But he – he is furious!"

"Looks like Sabo is a traitor now," Zoro says thoughtfully.

"We need to find them!" Chopper protests. "And we need Sabo to tell us what happened!"

"Didn't you listen? That bastard killed 60 people," Sanji says, a deep frown on his face. "Fucking hell, Ace was never that crazy…"

"We have to find them, now," Nami says angrily, jumping up. "Koala-chan? We'll call you back, ok?"

"P-Please be careful! A-and take c-care of L-Luffy! He-He's obsessed w-with him…" Koala replies chokingly and it clicks, the connection lost.

"Alright, the island isn't too big, we'll find them in no time. Plus, Sabo's bird is still here, right?" Usopp says, standing up, and they're about to divide themselves into groups, as they hear voices on deck – and their heads jerk around.

Robin quietly stands up.

 **Sabo**

He definitely shouldn't be so proud…but whenever he sees the glowing red kiss marks on Luffy's skin, his heart swells with affection. He still has problems believing that last night, they actually…

They actually slept together, joining their bodies in the most ancient way and hands down it was better than in any fantasy, better than in any dream Sabo has ever had.

Luffy, simply, just exceeds all expectations and turns life itself into a dream.

Their fingers are still intertwined and he lifts Luffy's hand to press an adoring kiss to his knuckles. Luffy smiles, before they let go and he runs toward his crew mates who have gathered on the lawn, watching them silently.

Sabo follows Luffy slowly – but as he notices Zoro's hand on his sword, he stops walking.

"Guys, what's up! Did you have breakfast yet?" Luffy asks Usopp and Chopper but they still stare straight ahead… at Sabo and Sabo feels himself growing cautious.

"Luffy, you need to see something," Robin says friendly to Luffy, holding the newspaper under his nose and Sabo's eyes narrow as the woman, the Light of the Revolution, looks at him with her unreadable eyes.

Sabo steps closer and now he notices even Brook's hand on the handle of his sword. Sabo halts.

 _Fuck this._

All of them coming between him and Luffy, _seriously…?!_

"Sabo. We don't want trouble, alright?" Usopp says to him and he has a smile on his face, and Sabo would've perhaps calmed if there wasn't Franky pointing a gun at him from behind Robin.

"Robin, what is that?" he hears Luffy asking, still oblivious of what is going on behind him and Sabo growls in a low voice, his fingers starting to warm up.

"It's today's paper. There was a major fire on Sabaody Archipelago, on Grove 1 to be precise," Robin explains calmly. "And in that fire, more than 64 people died. Burned alive, as the evidence revealed."

And Sabo waits for Luffy's reaction, but the boy still stands with his back to him, holding the paper in is hands.

And suddenly, Luffy spins around, throwing the paper to the ground.

"What the fuck, I thought you only killed the assholes!" Luffy shouts exasperated and his eyes are wide, his face showing his confusion, his surprise –

And Sabo swallows dryly, before he replies: "I was angry."

"And that's why you kill 64 people? What the fuck, dude?" Sanji comments angrily.

"Well, what would you do if you see a poster advertising people to come fuck your brother," Sabo bites out and that shuts the cook up.

"I did what I deemed right. Then Dragon ordered me to come home. I refused. I wanted to look for you guys. Then Koala refused to let me leave. So we fought."

And this time, he looks for Robin's eyes: "I take full responsibility. But…"

"What?" she replies.

"Did you know? That they were the ones who didn't give me back my memories? It wasn't amnesia?" he asks, his voice shaking with rage.

"Wait, what are you saying?" Luffy asks, stepping forward. " I thought –."

"That I had amnesia and I only triggered the memories after I saw Ace's dead face. But Koala said that they _let_ me remember. And it doesn't fucking add up, but I know that I need to talk to Dragon. Soon."

And now he returns his gaze to Luffy: "Although I don't know if I will live through it."

"What – Sabo, wait! You can't leave just now, I don't understand!" Luffy shouts angrily.

"Luffy, I don't understand either!"

"So this… yesterday, was your goodbye? You wanna go and get yourself fucking killed now, too?!" Luffy cries, tears streaming down his face and Sabo feels his heart clench with pain.

"I'm sorry. But I have to see him. Ask him why they took my memories. And why make me a soldier. I need to know, Luffy. I need to know why I couldn't be there when Ace needed me the most."

"Sabo, it doesn't change the fact that you killed 64 people," Nami says in a low voice and he sighs, before he smiles wryly at her.

"Well, I'm not as good a person as Ace was, I suppose. No really, I guess compared to Ace...I'm a monster, you could say."

"Sabo -"

"They will hunt you, huh?" Zoro asks him, but he has let go of his sword.

"I assume."

"I won't fucking let you run into your death!" Luffy protests and suddenly Sabo feels two arms wrap tightly around him and Luffy presses his tear-wet face into his chest. "I'm not letting you go!" he howls and Sabo clenches his jaw as he feels a desperate cry itching in his throat and he returns the hug, before he pushes him away, with a bleeding heart.

"I'm sorry. But I have to go see him. Dragon is the only one who can answer my questions. And we'll see…what happens after."

"You gonna quit the revolutionaries then?" Robin asks him quietly and he sighs.

"I don't know, Robin. For a fucking long time I thought destroying the world government was my dream and now I've discovered it's the dream of someone else and… I have to figure things out, Robin. I'm sorry."

"Sabo," Luffy sobs again and Sabo bites his lower lip, tears forming in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Luffy. Just...remember last night, ok. I love you, don't forget that, please."

And he whistles the barn swallow toward him and Luffy watches him, his beautiful, beautiful face a pained grimace and Sabo has never felt such an ache, such a longing in his heart.

"I'm sorry," he whispers, defeated.

 _I'm sorry I'm not perfect. I'm not like him. I'm horrible and selfish and cruel and we both know that. I'm sorry._

"Sabo… Don't leave," Luffy whispers hoarsely and Sabo looks him in the eyes one last time, before the bird spreads its wings.

"I'm sorry. Please don't hate me."

"I never could, Sabo –."

And that's the last he sees of his most treasured person as the bird gains altitude and they disappear into the clouds, with Sabo's tears freezing to crystals on his cheeks, as he feels as though the fire within him has just died down for good.

* * *

 **The End?**

 **Thank you for reading.**


End file.
